MIRI: Sime Darby Foundation (YSD) brought joy to pupils from four primary schools here yesterday as they presented a total of 779 school bags (inclusive of stationeries and uniforms) totalling RM70,000.
The four recipients were SK Pujut Corner, SJK Chung Hua Pujut, SK Chung Hua Tudan and SK Tudan.
The handing over ceremony was held at SK Pujut Corner yesterday morning.
Present at the ceremony were former deputy chief minister Tan Sri Datuk Patinggi Dr George Chan, Caterpillar Asia Pacific distribution vice president Raymond Chan, Sime Darby Industrial Sdn Bhd
managing director CK Teoh, Rotary Club of Kuching Central (RCKC) president Leonard Sia, SK Pujut Corner headmistress Suriyati Amit and principals from the four Primary schools.
YSD chief executive officer Yatela Zainal Abidin, in her opening speech yesterday morning, disclosed that the ‘Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) Back to School’ programme aims to alleviate the financial burden of families with monthly incomes of below RM4,000 by providing school supplies for their children — uniforms, bags, shoes, socks, and stationeries.
“Since the programme’s inception in 2013, YSD has spent more than RM2.5 million on school supplies to assist almost 26,000 students from rural schools and urban poor areas nationwide,” she said.
This year, she added, YSD has supplied school stationeries to more than 4,000 students in Sarawak, Sabah, Kelantan, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, and surrounding areas of Lembah Klang.
“YSD’s annual assistance for the underprivileged across the nation seeks to stress the importance of education for children, without prejudice,” she said.
